Written in Blood

I was one of those people who first became aware of this tragic case through the French docudrama called "The Staircase", which was a riveting and beautifully-made docudrama, but not (and did not claim to be) any kind of comprehensive investigative coverage of the trial or case as a whole. (It is an inside view of the preparation of the defense and a bit of the trial, from the defense viewpoint. It is primarily a portrait of the defendant Michael Peterson and his adult children and the members of the defense team as they deal with trial preparation, etc.) Like many others, after seeing the docudrama I wanted to read up on the actual evidence presented at trial, and the history of the victims, the defendant Michael Peterson, and all the parties concerned. "Written in Blood" was a very well-researched and thorough collection of all or almost all the evidence presented at trial, and went further, interviewing many people who were closely connected with the two victims and Michael Peterson, including family members of both the victims and the defendant, and others who were witness to events surrounding the murders. "Written in Blood" is a must read for anyone interested in the facts of this tragic case. The pace of the book is gripping and hard to put down. My thoughts go out to the families of the victims.

I watched nearly every minute of this trial on Court TV. I read almost every news article on this trial contemporaneously. I watched live online broadcasts of the trial and local commentary provided there. And when I read this book "Written In Blood", I felt like I was following this case for the first time. I learned so many new details about this homicide and the various "players" involved. I was riveted to the entire book. At times I had to put it down to digest very emotional passages and the masterful ways they were delivered. I got chills over and over again reading the various connections this author made that even I had not considered in this case. Michael Peterson's display of sociopathy speaks for itself. Ms. Fanning merely places it on a canvas which makes it come to life in an unmistakable way. Sociopaths are masterful at hiding in compartmentalized hidden places, manipulating situation upon person upon circumstance to confound those around them to their pathology. Fanning paints an unmistakable portrait based on the FACTS and interviews with those who were up close and personal to this monster and his crimes. On the heels of the propoganda docudrama film on Sundance, The Staircase, this book was a breath of fresh air. And a fair and accurate representation of the truth and devastation left in a sociopath's wake. I am starting to read Fanning's other book Through The Window now and look forward to any future books she may produce.

Written in Blood is the true account of the murder of Kathleen Peterson and Elizabeth Ratliff. Diane's account is true and right on the money. Which is what the murderer Michael Peterson ever cared about - money. I know this book is the best book written about this case because I know the truth and Diane Fanning wrote about it because I am one of Liz Ratliff's sisters. Good work Diane.

RE: biased and inaccurate, May 7, 2005 Reviewer: Anna Sanders-bonelli - See all my reviews "...Michael Peterson or her opinion that he is and has always been an inherently dishonest, manipulative, abusive, evil man. " " Even issues unrelated to the case are portrayed in this manner. ... except, of course, Michael Peterson who comes across as a negligent and self-serving father " ------------------------------------------------------------ Hey, you know...what can you do? If it (M Peterson) looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck. It is not biased to look at all the self serving things MP has done hie entire adult life and make an assessment. Besides, I don't recall anything in the preface saying it was going to be impartial... Every human being who encountered this trial started with the idea that they HOPED the guy was innocent because of all the kids involved, so it stands to reason that Diane Fanning did too. Maybe she should have waited til the last page of the book and then noted: BTW... MP is a selfish guy... ? I have researched thousands of pages and read 2 books on this case, watched the joke of a docu-drama and WIB is by far the most in-depth source of information in one place that I have found. I bought 2 copies. one to study and notate, and one for the shelf. It is clear that she has had very close contact with the family members in this hoorid real-life story. I loved it. It was the book for me....twice.

As I mentioned in my review of Aphrodite Jones' book about the Peterson murder case, I come to this trial and murder late in the game. What sparked my interest was the French documentary 'The Stair Case' on The Sundance Channel in April of this year. I bought Ms. Jones book on the case and then I bought Ms. Fanning's book. Of the two, Ms. Fanning's book is an encyclopedia of information about all the parties involved in this tragic, senseless murder. Or should I say murders? It is as thorough a book as I have read recently about any complicated high profile trial. Not only did she do her homework, she put an enormous amount of passion and emotion in her writing. You got the feeling it was almost a mission for her to do right by Mrs. Peterson and tell her story, too. She accomplished that goal beautifully. If you are at all interested in this murder case, murder trial, and the people involved, this is the only book you need read. I cannot recommend it highly enough.